Hearts of Hope
by Glassfirefly
Summary: Hope City is the ideal setting, with secrets and a mysterious background. Axel finds himself there after tragedy and it changes his life. AU. Axel x OC. other Canon x OC characters. AkuRoku hints.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own anything but Hope City (a fictional city), all characters belong to their rightful owners. Xembar belongs to Xembar-Rexamb. This is based on various ongoing roleplays of the Stray 4 Life community.**

It was during the middle of fall, during the cooler part of the season, when the fate changed for that city's inhabitants. It was barely big enough to be considered a city, and surrounded by only by small towns of northern England. The man who had named it Hope City was certainly mistaken. The people in the city seemed to have lost hope, or didn't want to find it, but hope always has it's way of getting in.

Axel sat on the sofa in his living area, sipping a coffee. It was a bit too cold for him during this time of year, but he did enjoy watching the leaves change colours. Something dark flashed by his window for a second, he set his drink down on the coffe table and went to the door, stepping out on to the porch.

Someone was running down the street. He blinked. The neighbourhood he lived in was usually quiet, and it was unusual for someone to be out on the street. He stood still a second before walking after the person.

"Hey." He called out.

They turned around and he stepped a bit closer, "What are you doing out here so late?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

The person stepped a little closer, he could see them better now. A girl with blue hair, a short pink checkered skirt, a black top and purple, fuzzy arm warmers stood in front of him. She looked at him, her face was stained with tears.

"Um, are you alright?" Axel asked, "What's your name?"

"X-Xembar." She muttered.

"How old are you?" He looked over her, she seemed like she was still a kid in highschool.

"Seventeen." She managed.

"Where are your parents?" He asked, a bit confused about why the girl was out there alone.

She was silent, letting tears fill her eyes. He looked at her oddly before realising that _something_ must have happened. "Hey, um, do you want to come in? It's cold out here, and I don't want you to get sick."

She looked at him. "Don't worry, I won't, er, rape and murder you or anything." She nodded a little before following the man back. "I'll be up in my office," he nodded toward a staircase somewhat hidden behind a wall, "you're welcome to join me if you like, or to stay down here."

He walked up, the girl following him, and entered his office, sitting in a chair next to an older looking desk. The room was small with a low, slanted ceiling, a chair, a desk, a chair across the room and a green carpet. It definitely wasn't the brightes or prettiest room in the house, but it seemed like something someone might study in.

"What exactly do you do in here?" Xembar asked.

"I'm a journalist." Axel smiled, "I write on the side. It's kind of...a hobby."

"Oh." She sat in the chair across from his desk.

They sat in silence before Axel pushed a foot against his desk, causing the chair to spin once slowly, "Whee."

Xembar blinked and he smiled. He spun once again, "Whee." She sat in his lap, blushing he spun the chair again, holding the girl on his lap.

"Whee." She grinned. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, and neither could he. Something made an odd noise and Axel looked up.

A blonde and red-haired boy with one purple eyemark and an unusual ensamble entered the room, "Hey, I'm home. Oh, you have company. I'll go to my room."

Axel blushed, "This is my friend, Xembar. Xembar, this is my son, Roxel. What took you so long to get home?"

"Stopped by a friend's house." He mumbled.

"Which friend..?" He shot a bit of a glare at the boy.

"Doesn't matter." Roxel yawned, "It's almost four am, I'm going to bed."

"Okay," Axel dropped the subject and looked to the seventeen-year-old, "hey, since it's almost daylight, do you want to go get some coffee?"

She nodded.

**A/N: Again, this is based on a roleplay. I hoped you enjoyed it, I'll start getting more into the story in the next chapter, this was just introducing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter is really short! .;; and the eerie hovering actually happened in a different roleplay with them. Slight warnings because a sexual reference is made.**

Axel and Xembar walked to the coffee shoppe. He owned a car, a 1983 Datsun Cherry, but the shoppe wasn't too far and he preferred walking. It was a bit chilly, he wore a pair of black slacks, a white buttoned up shirt and a long brown overcoat, a typical journalist look.

He held the door open for the girl and ordered them both creamed coffees. He sat down at the table across from the blue-haired girl and smiled, handing her the drink, "So."

"Hm?" Xembar asked, sipping her coffee.

"What made you come here? To Hope City?" He asked, also taking a sip.

She shrugged in silence.

He bit his bottom lip, deep in thought. "I don't exactly know why I came here, either. I think it's the name or something. This city just draws people in, you know?"

She nodded again. They both finished their coffee after about thirty minutes. The sun was starting to glimmer through the clouds of fall. They both exited the shoppe.

"Really pretty this time of year, am I right?" Axel smiled.

Xembar smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

"I love the leaves changing. I just hate the cold. It's freezing." He blinked.

Without thinking, Xembar nodded, "Yeah." She thought about sticking her hands in his coat pocket. He'd already let her into his house so what was wrong with warming up her hands in the nice man's coat? She shoved her hands in, not paying much more attention to anything but the leaves.

Axel let out a strange gasp, "Xembar!"

"What?" She looked up at him.

"That was sudden and your hands are freezing." He shuddered.

She looked at him oddly, was his coat so thin that he could feel her icy hands on his side through it? She studied the man over before pulling her hands away in embarrassment, "Oh my God, I swear, I was reaching for your pocket."

"Y-your hands are little ice blocks." He shivered.

"I swear, I'm not some kind of creepy pervert or anything." She blushed. "I was just trying to warm my hands up...in your pockets...and ended up warming them up in your trousers."

"I noticed that." Axel blinked, blushing. "How did you not realise that?"

"I thought you just had something in your pocket. Like a phone or something." She blushed deeply.

"That would be one strange cellular." He chuckled nervously.

"A good-sized one, at that." Xembar added in.

Axel's face turned bright red blushing. "Um, anyway...it's kind of nice out here."

Xembar nodded in agreement.

They continued on walking for a few more minutes in silence. "Hey, Xembar?"

"Yeah?" She asked.

He leaned in closely to the girl. "Axel..."

"Hm?" He asked, smiling a little.

"What are you doing?" She blinked.

"Nothing." He smiled innocently.

"Then...why are you so close to me?" She blushed.

"I can't hover eerily close to a friend?" He grinned, backing up a bit.

"Wh-what was that?" She asked.

"What was what?" He smiled.

"That." She blinked.

He acted as if nothing had happened, "I didn't notice anything."

"N-never mind." The girl shook her head.

They walked a few blocks before coming back to Axel's house, heading in the door. "So..um..wh-where can I sleep?"

"Living area, office, my room if you want." He shrugged, "I don't really care."

She nodded a little, "Where is your room?"

"Across the corridor from the office. It should be the only room of the three upstairs with a bed in it, as I recall." He smiled.

She nodded and headed upstairs.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this short update!**


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